occurring in such encounters. The teacher, Gradgrind, meets Louisa and Thomas, his children, as he walks home through these darkened streets. The children are said to have "an air of jaded sullenness" that is especially strong in Louisa, "yet struggling through the dissatisfaction of her face, there was a light with nothing to rest upon" (Dickens 22). Dickens uses such meetings to contrast aspirations with reality in various contexts, all against the background of the drab sameness of Coketown. This is seen as well in the relationship between Stephen Blackpool and his wife, for instance. He is a worker who understands and who could be a great leader under other circumstances, but in this type of society, he has little chance of showing his true worth. His vicious wife is another problem that prevents this intelligent but uneducated man from achieving what he might even in this br
...